TESL Faculty
The following people are the primary faculty for the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) courses. Note that many TESL students also take courses from Communication Arts and other programs in the School of Education, and may have other instructors.

DJ Kaiser, PhD, MATESL, MA

Associate Professor and Coordinator, Teaching English as a Second Languagedjkaiser@webster.edu
314-246-7153Courses taught: TESL 5030 Language History, Planning, and Policy, TESL 5350 Language and Culture, TESL 5720 Teaching English Pronunciation,TESL 5040 Practicum in ESOL, TESL 5139 ESOL Methods, and COMM 5344 Introduction to LinguisticsDJ Kaiser joined the Webster University faculty in 2011 having taught previously at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Barcelona, Parkland Community College, and the University of Illinois. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Spanish. He graduated with distinction and received the Mary A. Hussey Award for Excellence in ESL Teaching from the University of Illinois upon completion of his first master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language. Kaiser also has a master’s in Drama and a doctorate in Comparative Literature and Drama from Washington University in St. Louis and completed the graduate certificate in Translation Studies. He is a specialist in teaching English pronunciation with a vast background in phonetics, phonology, and applied linguistics. His research and teaching interests also include translation studies, adaptation studies, language planning & policy, general linguistics, World Englishes, pragmatics, second language acquisition, language pedagogy, and teacher training. In addition to teaching for Webster University, he has worked on a three-year grant with the St. Louis Public Schools, Pearson Education, the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Magic House, and the International Institute and is currently working on a five-year Department of Education grant with Webster's TESL Program on the Kansas City campus working with the Kansas City Public Schools. He has presented at numerous conferences and various institutions throughout the USA and in China, Thailand, Mexico, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In 2015 Dr. Kaiser was awarded a research grant to study the innovative English language instruction project Ceibal en Inglés in Uruguay. In 2016 Dr. Kaiser was awarded two more research grants to focus on projects of Videoconference Assisted Language Learning: a U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant in Uruguay to research Ceibal en Inglés in primary and secondary schools throughout Uruguay (March-June 2016) and a Faculty Research Grant to research Rio de Janeiro's EnglishWorks (June-July 2016). See

Associate Professoryleejohnson31@webster.edu
314-246-7643Courses taught: TESL 5230 Second Language Acquisition, TESL 5139 ESOL Methods, and TESL 5220 Curriculum DevelopmentYin Lam Lee-Johnson joined Webster University in 2013. Before joining Webster, Yin Lam Lee-Johnson taught at St John’s University and Northwestern College. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals such as TESOL Journal,The Journal of Research and Practice for Adult Literacy, Secondary, and Basic Education; The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy; The Reading Matrix; and many others. Also, she has presented at international and national conferences such as TESOL, AERA, AAAL, NAME, LRA, and NCTEAR. Her research interests include discourse analysis, TESOL methods, non-native English speaking teachers, second language acquisition, and she is particularly interested in the out-of-class literacy practices of ELLs. She has applied her findings about out-of-class learning to pre K-12 as well as adult ESL education. Her calling is to help immigrant children and adults adapt to mainstream society and become legitimate participants through ESL education. See

Peter Cramer, PhD, MATESL, LL.M.

Adjunct Professorpetercramer32@webster.edu314-246-7153Courses taught: TESL 5350 Language and CultureDr. Peter Cramer holds an M.A. in TESOL and a Ph.D. in Language Education from Indiana University. Before coming to the United States from his native Germany, Dr. Cramer studied law in Germany, and later, also received a U.S. law degree, an LL.M. (Master in Laws), from Indiana University. His research and teaching interest lies in Legal English, Corpus Grammar, and Pragmatics. Dr. Cramer’s dissertation focused on speech acts and is titledRefusals of Japanese Business Professionals in Japanese-American Companies: An Exploratory Study. In 2013 Dr. Cramer co-authored Drafting Cross-border Contracts in Legal English (Wolters Kluwer) with Prof. Cynthia Adams from IUPUI, a contract drafting guide for non-native speakers that draws heavily on a large corpus of authentic international contracts. Dr. Cramer taught general ESL, Legal English, and Business English at Indiana University, Bloomington from 1990-2006. From 2007 until 2009, he was the Associate Director of the Center for Global Legal English at Georgetown University, where he created a new LL.M. program, the two-year LL.M., a graduate legal studies program for international lawyers that starts with a one-year intensive Legal English and Academic Skills preparation and continues with a more traditional curriculum for the second year. Since 2010, Dr. Cramer has been Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs at Washington University School of Law where he administers a program for foreign-trained lawyers. Dr. Cramer has also taught short-term classes in Business Communication and Legal English and Contracts at Harvard University, Cairo University, and Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.

Nicole Ezeagu

Adjunct Faculty Webster Groves Main Campusnicolekumagai67@webster.eduCourses taught: TESL 5710 Grammar for ESL/EFL Teachers and TESL 5230 Second Language AcquisitionNicole Kumagai has been a member of the Webster University faculty since 2009. She has taught ESL in the United States and abroad at Okuda Elementary and Junior High Schools in Toyama, Japan, la Universidad Autonoma de Mexico in Chicago, Illinois, the University of IL in Chicago (Intensive English Program), and ELS Language Centers in St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies consisting of Spanish, History, and a concentration in World Religions from Millikin University in Decatur, IL. Nicole also attained a Master’s in TESOL/Applied Linguistics from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She has studied abroad in both Cuernavaca, Mexico to study Spanish and Chiba, Japan to study Japanese. Her special interests include grammar methodology and instruction, second language acquisition, teacher training, intercultural communication, TOEFL instruction, and service learning. Nicole is also the Grammar Coordinator and an advanced grammar instructor at Saint Louis University.

Michelle Sencibaugh, Ed.D., MATESOLAdjunct FacultyWebster Groves Main Campusasencibaugh44@webster.eduCourses taught: TESL 5040 Practicum in ESOL and TESL 5220 Curriculum Development in Second Language ClassroomsMichelle Sencibaugh became an adjunct instructor at Webster University in the spring of 2013. She began her teaching career with the St. Louis Public Schools as a fourth grade teacher. She joined the Valley Park School District as the K-12 ELL teacher and coordinator in 2007. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Maryville University, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with TESOL K-12 certification from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and a Master’s degree in K-12 Education Administration from Lindenwood University. She recently completed her Doctorate of Education in Education Leadership at Maryville University. Her areas of interest include academic vocabulary, research-based instructional strategies, pre-service teacher preparation, and teacher leadership.

Lynn David Tarvin, METAdjunct Faculty Kansas City Metropolitan Campuslynntarvin85@webster.eduCourses taught: TESL 5350 Language & CultureLynn Tarvin is a new adjunct instructor at Webster University for the Fall 2014 semester. He has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Missouri Southern State University and a Master of Educational Technology from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Lynn has taught in the Independence School District all his career, beginning with French and German in 2002. In 2009, Lynn was selected to develop the district's High School Newcomer ELL program. In 2010, Lynn received the Project ELL-MO grant from the University of Missouri—Columbia, completing ESOL certification in 2011 and continuing ESOL studies until May 2014. Lynn also holds Missouri teacher certification in French, German, Math, and Science. Lynn supports high school ESL and mainstream teachers through curriculum development and individual mentoring. In 2014, Lynn worked with Missouri DESE's Diverse Learner Amplification program, differentiating lessons from the state Model Curriculum. His areas of interest include systemic functional linguistics, program development and student retention, instructional coaching, and teacher leadership. Lynn lives in Independence with his wife and son.